


Without a Net

by lanalucy



Category: Battlestar Galactica (2003)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Bathing/Washing, Bondage, Clubbing, Cross-Posted on LiveJournal, Cunnilingus, F/M, Falling In Love, First Kiss, First Meetings, First Time, Foreplay, Frak Buddies, Hand Feeding, Kissing, Male-Female Friendship, Masturbation, Multiple Orgasms, Nudity, Public Sex, Safe Sane and Consensual, Texting, Texts From Last Night, Woman on Top, Wordcount: 5.000-10.000
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-01
Updated: 2015-07-01
Packaged: 2018-04-06 01:13:21
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 9,926
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4202307
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lanalucy/pseuds/lanalucy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In an alternate universe, Kara and Lee meet for the first time in a club.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Mostly unprompted, though I did use this TFLN line: He has the ass of a Greek god and he made me breakfast.
> 
> Also, though I haven't read it in a really long time, I apparently lifted the visuals of the opening scene from letterstonorah's And Then Lee Was Like, Frak, Yeah. Thank you, Norah.
> 
> Completed for the Finish Your Shit WIP Big Bang: wipbigbang.livejournal.com
> 
> Magnificent art made by **lotrspnfangirl**. It's the first time I've gotten art for a fic, and I'm delighted. :D
> 
> You can also see her art here: http://lotrspnfangirl.livejournal.com/53790.html
> 
> newnumbertwo and laura_mayfair are my village of betas, and red_b_rackham provided intense beta for this one at the last minute. Many thanks!
> 
> Ongoing gratitude to **bsg-checkin** for helping me through the rough spots and always being ready to cheer me on, no matter what I'm working on. You ladies rock!

Kara moved sinuously in front of him. Her jean skirt was riding low, her cropped tank top not quite indecent when she reached back and dragged her nails over the skin of Karl's neck. He bent his head. “Ten o’clock. Blue shirt. Hasn’t taken his eyes off you in over ten minutes.”

“Mmm. I noticed. Touch me.”

He skimmed his hands down her arms to her sides, slowing over the outer curves of her breasts, down her ribs to the soft skin of her abdomen. He teased her with his fingertips, and Kara leaned back into him, her eyes closed. He rubbed his cheek on hers. “I think he’d like to take me outside to have a word.” Karl felt her smile.

“I’d like to take him outside for something, but talking isn’t what I have in mind.”

“Are we having a fight, or just two people who met on the dance floor?”

She turned her cheek toward his chest. “I don’t feel like fighting tonight.”

“I’ve got the keys. I’ll hang around until I see you leave.” Karl put his arms around her, then spun her out and back in slowly.

She glanced behind him and grinned up at him. “Brunette. Your six. I think she could be convinced to dance. Don’t wait up.” She ran her finger up his chest and under his chin, then sauntered away.

He watched for a minute, and made a slow turn to scan the edges of the dance floor. When he spotted the brunette, he raised a brow, and smiled when she danced out onto the floor toward him. The night was looking up.


	2. Chapter One

He’d watched the blonde dance with the tall guy for nearly an hour, their bodies moving into and around each other with the ease of long-time lovers, but without the heat he would have expected. She left the dance floor and made for the bar without looking at him. She stopped right next to him, and he pretended so hard to ignore her that her husky voice startled him.

“Buy me a drink?”

He turned to look at her. “Me?”

“Yeah, you. I’m thirsty.”

“Some reason your boyfriend can’t buy you one?”

“My boyfriend?” She looked toward the dance floor, then back at him. “You mean Helo? Not my boyfriend.”

It was his turn to look out at the dance floor and then back - Helo, if that was his name, appeared to be quite happily dirty-dancing with a brunette who was all clingy arms and fluttering eyelashes and secretive smiles. He tilted his head back toward the blonde.

She gave him a frank appraising glance. “If you won’t buy me a drink, you wanna go out back and frak?”

 _Uh, yes. I would love to frak you._ Still...“Is this some kind of con? I go out back with you, he follows and tries to beat me to a pulp, 'rescues' you, and I end up unconscious in the alley without my wallet?”

Her laughter was bold and loud and not even a little bit ashamed. “Tries?” She leaned in. “You wanna know the truth?” He nodded. “Me and Helo? We have a deal. When we’re on the prowl, if we don’t get lucky with someone else, we’ll still frak each other, and it’s still plenty good. We’ve just moved on. We’re not like that anymore. We’d rather see other people. Variety is the spice of life.”

He stared at her.

“What? I’m supposed to lie and say me and Helo are just best friends? What’s the point? We are best friends, but we’re also frakbuddies who used to be more and aren’t now. We like each other too much.”

He shook his head. “Gods, I’m confused. You like each other too much to be involved, but not too much to still frak each other when the occasion suits you.”

“Yep.” She swiveled toward the bar, signaling the bartender. “Ambrosia. Beer chaser.” She downed the shot of ambrosia and took a healthy swallow of the beer. “So, why were you watching me if you won’t buy me a drink, and you don’t want to frak me?”

“Never said that. Just don’t want a quick frak in the alley. Quick and dirty’s not my style. I like to take my time.”

She looked him straight in the eyes for a moment, then lazily glanced all the way down his body and back up. When their eyes met again, she said, “That’s not usually my thing, but I think I might like for you to take your time. You have a place?”

“You in a hurry?”

“Not necessarily, but Helo’s got the car keys. He won’t leave until I do. He’d probably like for it to be soon.”

They both looked back toward the dance floor, where Helo was grinning broadly at something the brunette was saying. He glanced up, caught Kara’s eye, and held a thumb up behind the woman’s back. Kara turned on the stool. “He’s getting lucky. Am I?”

“Do you have time for dinner?”

She laughed out loud and put a hand on his shoulder. “You are hopelessly old-fashioned, you know that?”

He shrugged. “Maybe. I’m also hungry. I came straight here from a long day at work.”

“You okay with a hole in the wall, pretty boy?” She raised a brow, probably expecting him to refuse.

“Perfect. You know a good one?”

She dug in her pocket, tossed some bills on the bar, and grabbed his hand. “Let’s get you fed. You’re gonna need it.”

He held back just for a second, and she looked at him, then their hands, and back at him. “You said you wanted to take your time, right? I can’t have you running out of steam halfway through, now can I? It would make a terrible first impression.”

He squeezed her hand and let her pull him toward the exit. “You have a point.”

He trailed behind her as she turned to skirt the edge of the dance floor, stand on her toes, and wave a hand to ‘Helo.’ Seconds later, they were out in the humid Caprican air, heading across the parking lot.

~*~*~*~*~*~

In the bright lights of the diner, the angles of her face were sharper, her smile less predatory. He liked her better this way. She ordered more food than he did, and as he ate, he watched with a sense of wonderment as she devoured it all with abandon. He’d never dated anyone who didn’t seem to care what he thought. Not that this was a date, of course. Just dinner and frakking. Gods, if she frakked the way she ate…

“I have food in my teeth or something?”

“Huh?

“You’re staring at me.”

“Oh. No. I just…”

“What?” she asked, impatience in her tone and body language.

He didn’t know what made the filter between his brain and his mouth disappear. “I was watching you eat, and wondering if you frak the same way.”

A wicked smile changed the landscape of her face again. “Afraid I’ll be too much for you?”

“Honestly? Kind of, yeah.”

“You get points for honesty, pretty boy. Just for that, I’ll be gentle with you. The first time.”

His mouth dropped open, and she winked. “Once is never enough, pretty boy.” She gestured to his plate. “Eat up. You’ll need it.”


	3. Chapter Two

The sex had been good. Better than good. Better than…much better than she’d expected from his old-fashioned manners and his insistence on taking the time to kiss her before he did anything else. He’d been almost methodical, yet she’d come four times.

She’d fallen asleep after, not something she ever did except with Helo, and now this guy was wrapped around her, and she was having a hard time convincing herself it was worth the effort to make a clean getaway.

Finally, she talked herself into it, and tried to ease out of the bed, but she wasn’t careful enough.

“Where you going?”

Gods. He sounded adorable half-asleep. She so did not need to think of him and adorable in the same sentence. “Just going home, pretty boy.”

He reached out with a speed she hadn’t expected and caught her around the waist, pulled her back in. “Stay. You said Helo’s got your keys anyway.”

“Car keys. I have a key to the apartment.”

He kissed her neck, nibbled on the skin behind her ear, and suddenly she was much less interested in leaving. She groaned. He seemed to fall back asleep mid-kiss and she tried again. His arms tightened and he threw a leg over her hip.

“Stop fighting it and just sleep for a bit. It won’t kill you.”

She blinked, trying to stay awake long enough, but his steady breathing was an irresistible lullaby and eventually she dropped back off.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Kara woke to the scrape of his cheeks on her inner thighs. His tongue already had her more than halfway to a really good climax. She groaned softly. “I’ll give you an hour to stop doing that.”

She could tell without looking he grinned at her when he stopped to say, “Only an hour? What kind of men have you been frakking?”

Her stomach dipped. To cover her discomfort, she said mockingly, “Who says they’ve been men?”

“Even worse.” That was all he said before he had his mouth on her again.

Kara kept her eyes closed. She wasn’t sure if the tension in her thighs was more about the impending orgasm, or her attempts to fight it off. The sex was too good. Besides that, by staying all night, she’d broken two of her own cardinal rules, rules she’d only ever broken for Helo before now.

As if she’d summoned him, Helo’s ringtone sounded in the room. She fumbled on the nightstand for her phone. “Yeah?”

It came out breathier than she’d intended, and Helo chuckled. “Oh, really? That good?”

“Um…”

Helo laughed again. “You’re even less articulate than usual. Must have frakked your brains loose.”

“Shut the fra - oh gods.” She bit her lip to hold in her moan. It came out a mortifying whimper instead. “Gotta go, Helo.” She let her hand drop at her side, and the phone rolled over a couple of times. She hadn’t hung up, and Helo’s laughter filled the room as she cascaded over the precipice with a cry.

~*~*~*~*~*~

She’d fallen asleep. Again. She never, ever fell asleep after sex until she was in her own place, but she’d fallen asleep in his bed twice now. No, three times. She groaned, and his hand tightened on her hip.

“You like pancakes?” His voice was muffled in the pillow.

“Do I have to either get dressed or make them myself?” She felt him sit up behind her.

“I’ll make them. I’ll even bring them to you.”

“In that case, I love pancakes.”

“Do you want fruit in them?”

What the frak kind of guy was this? He seemed obsessed with feeding her, which wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. She grinned to herself. “I’ll eat ‘em however you want to make ‘em.”

His hand skimmed down her back to cup her ass cheek, and he kissed her shoulder. “Give me about fifteen minutes. Coffee?”

“Oh, gods, please!”

He chuckled. She opened one eye to watch his ass as he left the room. Not bad. Not bad at all. She closed her eyes again and rolled over. Ugh. Morning. The smell of coffee brewing was enticing, though, so she dragged out of bed and hit the head, rubbing some toothpaste on her teeth after. It wasn’t perfect, but it would do for now.

She crawled back in, scooting toward the middle, so he’d have room for a tray or whatever, then she closed her eyes and drifted for a few minutes. She started awake with the feather-light touch of his fingertips on her hip.

He smiled when her eyes opened. “Coffee, pancakes, strawberries, blueberries, hot syrup, orange juice.”

She stretched her arms above her head, opening her eyes just in time to watch him tuck the blanket over his growing erection. She bit back her grin. “You gonna feed me, too?”

He shrugged one shoulder. “If you want.”

“Strawberry.”

He picked one up and held it out to her. She pulled his hand closer and closed her mouth over the berry and his thumb and forefinger. She sucked the juice off his fingers and lay back a little. “Tasty.”

It was messy, but he fed her the rest of the fruit and the pancakes the same way, let her have a sip or two of coffee, then unceremoniously put the tray on the floor and yanked her across the bed to kiss her. A laugh bubbled up inside her.

“I could get used to this, pretty boy.” She closed her eyes, not knowing where the words had come from. So not her modus operandus.

“You want to stay the weekend? Will your Helo worry if you don’t come home?”

“ _My_ Helo?” She cackled, her hand on her stomach. “He might think I’ve lost my mind when I tell him, but he won’t worry about me. Might worry about you…” She winked at him and he blushed.

“Why do you call me that? Pretty boy?”

She cocked her head at him. “Have you never looked in a mirror? You’re the prettiest man I’ve ever seen. Hell, prettier than a lot of women I’ve seen. Does it bother you?”

Again with the shoulder. “I don’t…no.” He shook his head. “I guess not.”

Kara bopped him on the nose playfully. “Besides, I don’t know what else to call you.”

Color rose in his cheeks and on the tops of his ears. It was endearing, and made her wonder how someone so easily flustered could be so good with his tongue.

“I guess we never bothered to exchange names, did we?”

“Do we need to?”

“Well…” Color washed up on his face again and he looked away.

“What?”

“I was thinking I’d like to see you again. If you want.”

Kara barely controlled her surprise. “You mean like, take me out on a date?”

“Do you not date?”

“I…well, I can’t remember the last time someone wanted more than…than this.” She gestured to indicate their nude bodies.

“I can’t remember the last time I found someone so frakking fascinating.” He waited a beat. “If you’re not interested, it’s okay. I just thought it was - mutual.”

Kara frowned, confused. Except for Helo, no one - no guy, anyway - had ever wanted more from her than a quick frak or a blow job. Talk? Pancakes with hot syrup? She watched his face harden, and realized she was thinking too hard, taking too long, and he thought she was saying no. She put her hand out to cover his. “Ask me again.”

His face froze in almost comical surprise, then his mouth snapped shut for a moment. He held her eyes, long enough for Kara to want to squirm, then said, “I wondered if you might be interested in dinner later? Just the two of us?”

She felt the smile spread over her face. “Okay.”

“Yeah?”

Kara nodded. “But first, does breakfast come with dessert?”

He cocked his head, looked down at the tray on the floor, then back at her. She saw the moment he understood what she was asking. “I believe I can manage that.”

Afterward, with her pulse pounding in her wrists, she dropped her head back on the pillow. “Best dessert ever.”

He smiled crookedly at her and she pulled him in for a short kiss. “Nice to meet you. I’m Kara Thrace.”

He beamed at her, making him more beautiful than he’d been before. “Lee Adama.”

She broke the spell with a huge yawn, and he laughed. “Nap?”

“Now you’re talkin’, Lee.” She fell back to sleep pleasantly sated, boneless and comfortable for the first time in a long time, wrapped up tight in his arms.


	4. Chapter Three

Lee’s heart nearly stopped when she said, “I need to go home.”

He took a deep breath and asked, “I thought you wanted dinner?”

She pushed herself up on one arm. “I meant for a shower and clean clothes. I can’t go to dinner anyplace but a dive in what I wore last night.”

 _Thank gods!_ “You were beautiful last night.” She dropped her eyes. She wasn’t used to receiving compliments. What was wrong with the men in her life?

She kissed the tip of her finger and rubbed it softly back and forth on his lips. “I was thinking about maybe wearing a dress.” She was close enough to feel his body’s response to the idea, and she smiled a little as she leaned her face closer to kiss him. “Do we have time for you to drop me off? Thirty minutes. I’m not high-maintenance. I can throw some stuff in a bag while I’m there.”

He’d wait hours to see her in a dress, but maybe he shouldn’t say that. “I think we’ve got an extra thirty minutes in the schedule.”

~*~*~*~*~*~

Helo wasn’t home when Lee dropped her off. She rushed to her room, pulled a dress out of the closet, and stripped down to hop in the shower. She was halfway through washing her hair when she saw him come in and lean on the sink.

“Guess you had a good time.”

She raised her voice over the water, “He has the ass of a god and he made me breakfast. And he’s really good with his tongue. What do you think?”

“You’re going out with him?”

“What makes you say that?” She stuck her face under the water to rinse out her hair.

“He’s parked outside on the street, Kara. Looks like he’s waiting. You’re taking a shower. I saw a dress on your bed.”

She stuck her head around the clear curtain. “He’s waiting? Frak. I thought he was going to drop me off and run a couple of errands.”

“He looked busy. Maybe he’s taking care of stuff on his phone.”

Kara went back to her shower.

“What’s going on here, Kara? You’ve never not come home before, and now you’re going on an actual date?”

Kara finished scrubbing and rinsed off, turned off the water, and shoved the curtain aside. She held out a hand for a towel. “I haven’t felt this way in a long time, Karl. Off balance, but in a good way. Not since you.” She finished drying off, hung up the towel, and pushed Helo aside to go back to her room. “And look how that turned out.”

Helo followed her. Kara dug through her dresser for her lotion and her good underwear. If she was going to do this, might as well go all out. She turned around to dump everything on the bed, and Helo raised a brow. She stuck her tongue out. She hurried through pulling the dress on, then turned her back. “Do my buttons, please?”

When he pulled at the dress to straighten it out, she couldn’t help but thank the gods for his persistence way back in the beginning. She’d never had a better friend. When he was done, she turned around and hugged him. “Thank you.”

“For what?”

“For being my friend. All these years since basic? My life would have sucked without you.”

Helo shrugged. “Back atcha, Kara.”

She laughed. “There are several instances I can recall where being friends with me wasn’t a good deal for you at all.” She pulled a bag out, started tossing in clothes for a couple of days, the underwear she’d pulled out - tonight, she was going commando. “I’m staying the weekend, Karl.” She looked up and he’d crossed his arms. “Don’t look at me like that.”

“I can’t help worrying. You just met this guy. Do you even know his last name?”

Kara bit her lip. She didn’t - well, they’d introduced themselves and then gone to sleep. The last name was a bit fuzzy in her memory. She was pretty sure it started with an ‘a.’

“I’ve got you on speed dial, Helo. I’m a big girl. I can handle this.” She looked over what was in the bag, making sure she had everything. “I have to brush my teeth. If it’ll make you feel better, you can go downstairs and talk to him yourself while I’m doing it. Just…let me have this.”

Helo ruffled her hair and put his hands on her cheeks, forcing her to look at him. “I’m not ever going to stop worrying, you know.”

“I know. And I’m glad. Now get out of here so I can brush my teeth.” She was not the least bit surprised to hear the front door close a few seconds later. She rinsed and spit, combed her hair, and grabbed her bag. When she got downstairs, Helo was leaning on his elbows in the open window of Lee’s car.

She hip-checked him and he stood up, laughing. She pulled his shirt so he’d bend for a kiss on the cheek. “See ya later.”

She got into Lee’s car, waving out the window to Helo as they drove off. When they got several blocks down the road, she said, “Pull over, Lee.”

“What? Why?” He did it anyway.

Once he was pulled to the curb and had the car in park, she leaned over the console, tapping a finger on her lips. Lee twisted toward her, and she took her time kissing him. She pulled back, leaving her hand on the console. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw him smile as he put the car back in drive.

~*~*~*~*~*~

After that kiss, Lee had a hard time keeping his eyes on the road. He couldn’t wait to strip that dress off, kiss every inch of her. He tried to focus on being in the moment, though. She was here, looking delectable. He owed it to her to be here with her.

She was refreshing. No pretense. Completely unlike anyone else he’d ever dated. She ordered what she wanted without trying to hint at what his budget might be for the night. Didn’t stick to salad or water with lemon. She ate heartily and clearly worked it off somehow; she’d been all firm, smooth muscle under her soft skin. He adjusted the napkin in his lap, and when he looked up at her, she winked. He could feel the color washing up his face, and she smiled even wider when she saw it.

They walked to his car, hands swinging, and she backed up to the door, pulling at his belt loops to bring him closer. He let her take his weight, pinning her to the car. Lazy kisses grew heated, and Kara was squirming under him.

“We need to get back to my place.”

She looked at him, mischief shining in her eyes. She took hold of his left hand and pushed it down her hip to the hem of her dress, then pulled his hand back up, the dress coming with it. She guided his hand up, up, up, and nipped at his lip when his hand stopped.

He put his forehead on hers. “Gods. You’ve been sitting there all this time like this?”

“I might have had an ulterior motive for wearing a dress.”

“Frak.”

“That’s the idea, Lee.”

“Right here?” He hated the squeak of hall monitor he heard in his voice.

“Right here. Right now. Quick. Take the edge off. By the time we get back to your place, we’ll be able to go for hours.” She kissed him quickly. “If you’re into that sort of thing.”

Lee couldn’t help looking around, and Kara laughed softly.

“You’re such a straight arrow. Bet you never even made out in a back seat.”

He wanted to deny it, but he couldn’t. He’d always been the good boy - studious and rule-following. If Kara stuck around, he might be in for a wild ride. And he wanted her to stick around, despite the frisson of fear he felt at the idea of his life being turned upside down.

His fingers slipped and slid. Kara’s eyes closed and her head fell back against the roof of the car. His belly was tight with apprehension. What if someone saw them? Then he grazed her clit, and her “Ohhhhh. Lee,” made him momentarily forget anyone else was on the planet.

He fumbled for his zipper - thank gods with his right hand! - and then stood there, with his hand in his briefs, wishing he’d broken a rule or two before now. “I hate to ruin this, Kara, but I don’t know what to do now.”

She raised her head and opened her eyes. “You don’t know what to do.”

Humiliation washed through him when she smiled, and he hung his head. “I don’t have enough hands.”

She pulled his hand out from under her dress and raised his chin. “That’s sexy, Lee. That you don’t know what to do. Pick me up.”

 _Sexy? Not the reaction I expected._ He put his hands at her waist and hefted her. Her legs wrapped around him, and she pulled her dress out from between them. “Know what to do now?”

“I think I can manage.” He hoped so, anyway.

With most of her weight against the car, there was enough room between them for both their hands. Kara wrapped her hand around his, guiding him into her. Then he was buried inside her, nothing between them but their clothes. He kissed her, started with small strokes. Kara’s hands clutched his shirt tight.

It felt good, but the constant worry in the back of his head kept him from enjoying it as much as Kara did. As soon as she came, he stopped. He just couldn’t let go enough.

She held on until she was breathing normally again, then nudged him to let her go. “You didn’t like it, did you?”

He shrugged, regret stealing his breath. Was it over already? Was he too stuffy for her to waste her time with him?

She ran her thumb over his bottom lip. “Thank you for indulging me.” She looked down at his cock still hanging out of his briefs. “Take me home, Lee. I think I owe you one.”

~*~*~*~*~*~

“What’s something you’ve always wanted to do, Lee?”

“You’re talking about sex, aren’t you?”

“Of course.” Kara laughed. “I said I owed you one. So tell me something you’ve thought about doing, wanted to do, but couldn’t imagine asking for.”

“You’re not going to laugh at me?”

“Well, I might. But I’ll still do it. No matter what it is.” She met his eyes, waiting for him to say something. “I know, underneath your stodgy exterior, there is a rebel just waiting to come out and play. Even if it’s only once.”

“Stodgy? You make me sound boring.”

“If you were boring, Lee, I wouldn’t have bothered. Life’s too short for boring sex.”


	5. Chapter Four

“Are you sure you want to do this? What if we start simpler, without tying your hands?” She looked toward the closet. “Not everybody likes being tied up, Lee.”

He nodded. “You asked what I’ve always wanted to try. This is it.”

“What if I leave you tied up and take all your stuff?”

He had a moment of utter confidence, and pushed her into the doorframe. “You won’t get any more orgasms.” He leaned in and kissed her, teasing her mouth with his. “I’ve gotten the impression you like those.”

“Mmmm.” She wrapped an arm around his neck. When he pulled away, she said, “You have a point. So, do you have ties in your closet? I didn’t bring my Madame Helga gear on this sleepover.”

The sudden image of her dressed as a dominatrix shocked him in its vividness, and he shifted uncomfortably as he nodded. “I’ve got ties. Do they need to be any certain kind?”

“Nope. Long enough, that’s all.” She played with his buttons for a moment. “You go get the ties, and I’ll tell you how we’re going to start.”

When he came back, Kara hung the ties around her neck and turned him back toward the door frame. “Stand there. You can touch the wall, but not me or yourself. You can’t do anything unless I ask you to. Got it?”

Lee looked at his ties around her neck, imagined her wearing nothing but them. The image of her as a dominatrix came back to the forefront, though. “One question.” He waited for her to nod. “Do you actually have Madame Helga gear?”

She laughed, hand on her belly, and after a second or two, he laughed with her. She stepped closer, right at his shoulder. “Does the idea turn you on, Lee?”

He nodded. She smiled, a wicked twinkle in her eyes. “You’re not finding out tonight.” She turned his torso back toward the door frame, and moved behind him. She framed his shoulders, slid up to his neck, carded her fingers up through his hair.

Under other circumstances, it would probably be relaxing, but he had no idea what she was going to do before she tied him up, so he was too tense to enjoy it like he wanted to.

She stepped up right behind him and reached around, unbuttoning his shirt slowly, hands lingering on the skin she uncovered. She yanked the tails out of his pants, running her hands up his back, then back down with her fingernails. Gods. He could get used to this. She slid the shirt down his arms, one at a time, and he heard it land somewhere behind them.

She scratched around his waist from back to front, then up his chest, flicking his nipples as she passed them. When he grunted under his breath, she came back to them, teasing, pinching, pulling, until just from that, he was hard as a rock. _She hasn’t even gotten to my pants. How am I going to survive this?_

She ran the tips of her fingers back and forth along the waist of his pants, spending a little too much time at the sides where he was almost ticklish. She kissed his shoulder, and he could feel her lips curve. She knew what she was doing to him.

She unbuttoned and unzipped his pants, letting them fall to the floor, then wrapped one hand around his hip and knelt at his side. She smoothed her mouth across the skin above his briefs, around his ribs, ending up on the hard curve of his ass. She bit him through the cloth, sharp enough he felt it, but not enough to hurt. Instead, it went straight to his cock, and the fly of his briefs dampened.

Kara chuckled and rubbed her forearm hard on his cock, the other hand teasing the back of his briefs down. She kissed his skin, brushed a finger, feather-light, down the crack of his ass. Gods. He couldn’t take much more of this. “K-” he cleared his throat. “Kara?”

“Mmm?”

“I’m dying here, and you haven’t even tied me up yet.”

She gripped his hip and stood, sneaking under his arms to stand in front of him. He leaned in to kiss her, and she grabbed hold of his cock, squeezed hard, getting his attention.

“No touching. That includes lips.” She rubbed softly. “You ready to be tied up, then, Lee?”

He almost shook his head, but hedged. “Not sure.”

The teasing was instantly gone from her face. “You want to stop now?”

“What happens if I say yes?”

She smiled at him. “It’s your fantasy, Lee. If it’s too intense for you right now, we stop. Get naked and frak. Try this another time.”

“No.” He shook his head. “I don’t want to stop. I guess I just needed to know I could.”

“Always. It’s why I didn’t tie you up right away. It’s not for everybody.”

“Do you like it?”

“Why don’t we talk about that another time? Get back to this.” She worked her hand into his briefs and caressed the skin of his cock.

“Gods, Kara.” He pushed into her hand.

She reached a hand around his neck and kissed him, her tongue dancing around his as her other hand teased the head of his cock. She sucked at his bottom lip and said, “Bed.”

Obediently, he walked over and sat on the bed.

“On your back. In the middle.” When he had arranged himself the way she wanted him, she stood at the side of the bed and frowned. “Frak. I forgot the buttons. I can’t undo this one without help.”

The image of Helo helping Kara get dressed flashed through his mind, and he forced down the jealousy. “I can undo a couple, if you can get the rest.”

She sat on the edge of the bed, presenting her back to him. He undid the top button, making no effort to avoid touching her skin. Another button. She had a tattoo. He locked the image in his mind to look up later. “Is two enough?”

“Yeah.” She stood up. He laid back down, and she pulled a tie from around her neck. “I’m going to touch you with this first, let you get used to the sensation of it somewhere other than your neck.”

He nodded and she held the tie in her hand above his feet, dipped low enough it touched his skin. It moved up his calf and his thigh, and he flexed his hand when she circled it around his cock and balls. She focused there until he thought he would scream. The feel of the tie through his briefs was completely unlike fingers or a hand - barely there, ephemeral - but still intensely arousing.

She coiled it on his stomach and dropped the end. “You want more?”

“Yes.”

“One arm, or both?”

He closed his eyes for a moment and answered, “Both,” before his courage deserted him.

She straddled him, knotted one tie around his right wrist and leaned over him, her clothbound breasts pressing into his face. He flicked his tongue out at the nipple pebbled above him. This time, she didn’t complain about him touching her, but she backed off to do the other wrist, and didn’t linger.

Kara moved back, knelt between his legs, and when he looked down, her body in that rather demure dress was a vivid backdrop to her hands in the sides of his briefs, his cock peeking out the top edge. She inched them down agonizingly slowly, the elastic dragging on his cock, her fingertips digging into his hips just a little, and he whimpered.

She smiled. Bent to waft hot breath over his cock. His briefs were more than damp now. Thank gods she was taking them off! He flexed his jaw, and Kara laughed. “Let go, Lee. Just you and me. Are you enjoying this?”

He opened his mouth to answer, the _Gods, yes_ frozen on his lips as she reached behind her to pull at the dress, undo more buttons. Kara let go of it again, then palmed her breasts, squeezing them, rubbing her thumbs back and forth, the cloth hiding everything and nothing.

“Gods, Kara.”

She licked her lips. “You wanna see ‘em without the dress, Lee?”

“Yes,” he croaked out. He watched her drag the dress up her body, revealing her taut belly and firm breasts by inches. He reached for her, stopped short by the ties around his wrists. Warmth washed through him and he struggled slightly against the ties. Kara went a little fuzzy, then came back into focus as his pupils dilated and adjusted.

“Mmm. You like that, don’t you, Lee?” She dropped the dress behind her back.

He wasn’t sure like was a strong enough word. How had he not done this before?

Kara pushed one hand down, traced a finger on the skin where the top of her panties would have been, all while the other hand massaged her breast. She was breathing harder, and he wondered that he was even breathing at all.

“Kara,” he pleaded.

Her hand dipped further. Her eyes closed and she touched herself, then raised her hand to suck in a finger. “You want me to do it this way, or you want me up there?” She swiped her wet finger up his cock.

Again he tried to reach for her. “Up,” was all he could say.

“I was hoping you’d say that.” She rose to her knees and put his legs between hers, then crawled up. Her face hovered over his mouth and he stretched, hoping she’d let him taste her. Instead, she rubbed their noses together, then sat back, tightening her knees around his ribs.

When she settled on him, her heat and wetness almost had him coming on contact. He clenched his jaw, hoping it wouldn’t be over so soon. “Kara…” Was that the only word he knew anymore?

“Mmmhmm?” She smiled at him, soft and mysterious and a little bit wicked as she sucked on two fingers, then lowered them between her legs. She rubbed them up and down over her mound, fingertips flickering against his cock.

He pushed his hips up, chasing her heat. She pressed her fingers inside herself and gasped, pumping in small strokes, then bringing them out and painting his cock with her wetness. She made a ring around the shaft of his cock with two fingers and a thumb, and slowly slid back and forth on the head, until he almost couldn’t breathe anymore.

He tried again to reach for her, again stopped by the ties around his wrists, and he moaned. “Gods, Kara…please.”

“Please what, Lee?”

She kept the head of his cock moving, the sensation of her skin on his overwhelming. He gritted his teeth and forced himself to say, “Touch yourself. Make yourself come.”

“Are you sure that’s what you want?”

“Yes,” he hissed out.

When she smiled, he knew she was going to torture him some more. “You asked for it.” She flexed her thighs and pulled his cock up from his belly, positioning him at just the right angle. She sank down on him slowly, her eyes fluttering shut as she did, both of them groaning. His hands closed into fists, and he counted backward from a hundred to distract himself from the smooth glide of her wet warmth on his throbbing cock.

She remained still for a moment or two then opened her eyes. She raised her hands, squeezing and playing with her breasts, flicking at her nipples. He ached to touch her, kept trying to reach out, and every time his hands were jerked back by the ties, he went a little deeper into someplace he’d never been before. If he’d been with anyone else, he’d have probably wanted to stop, but with Kara, the edge of fear was just exactly right.

She pinched her nipples, holding her thumb and finger together, then let go, dropping her hands to his stomach, pushing her fingertips up, scratching lightly over his nipples until he was squirming under her. She pinched his nipples hard and his cock twitched inside her. She let go and scraped her fingers up her thighs to meet in the middle.

He watched her squeeze her thighs, tracing her thumbs lightly over her lips and the base of his cock. She put one hand down on his belly and stroked the tip of a finger around in smaller and smaller circles on her clit. She was teasing them both. Whenever she hit just right, she let out a small sound, almost as if she were surprised, and went back to bigger circles for a moment. Every inch of him that was touching her was vibrating, and she wound tighter and tighter until her head fell back and her fingers dug into his skin and she cried out his name.

“Gods, Kara!”

She looked at him, pupils blown nearly black with arousal, and leaned forward. “Want me to take these off?” she rasped out.

He nodded, but said, “Leave ‘em, Kara. Ride me.” He bent his knees and dug his heels in, pushing up into her. She put her hands on his shoulders and pulled up. He watched her face, his cock sliding in and out of her in his peripheral vision. Her breasts were tantalizingly close, making his mouth water, and she moved faster, banging down harder, and he was already so turned on, the ride was embarrassingly short. She ground their hips together as he came, and he lay there, panting, chest heaving, as she collapsed onto him.

“Want to touch you, Kara,” he managed to say.

She nodded her head, reaching up with a hand to yank at the end of a loop. It let go, and his arm careened toward her too quickly. He stopped himself with an effort, then dug his fingers into her hair to bring her mouth to his for a kiss.

She tasted so good, and the fragrance of their lovemaking was saturating the room, and his cock, not quite soft inside her, was making a valiant attempt at a comeback.

Kara pulled her mouth away long enough to ask, “I take it you liked that?”

He didn’t even try to laugh it off. “I’m going to have to buy more ties.”

She moved her hips, sliding minutely forward and back until he was completely hard again. She kissed him tenderly. “I’m glad it worked for you.” She untied the other wrist and twined her fingers with his. “Very glad.”


	6. Chapter Five

She didn’t often get to play like that anymore, and he’d not just gone against his own instincts and let her tie him up, he’d actively participated. She and Helo hadn’t done much more than scratch their mutual itch in a long time, and most of her other bed partners were far too temporary to bother gaining their trust or giving them hers. She wasn’t sure what it was about Lee that made her want more from him than just sex. She lay there watching him sleep, his face relaxed into almost childlike repose, and felt an almost desperate need to be part of a couple again. Her gut was a maelstrom of giddiness and terror.

She carefully got out of bed and hunted down her purse, digging her phone out of its depths.

_Are you awake?_

_What’s up, Kara?_

She stared at Helo’s icon on her phone for two or three seconds, then pressed call.

“What’s wrong?”

“Why do you think something’s wrong?”

“Because it’s three in the morning, and you’re spending the weekend with your new guy, and you’re on the phone to me, when you should be either having screamingly great sex or sleeping it off.”

She sighed.

“C’mon. Talk to me, Kara.”

“I’m scared,” she whispered.

“What? Did he do something? Do I need to come get you?”

She smiled at his automatic answer, then protested. “No! It’s not that. I’m - gods, Helo, I’m falling in love with him.”

“Oh.”

“What am I supposed to do, Helo?”

“Fall in love with him, Kara. You told me earlier to let you have this. Well, now I’m telling you the same thing. Let yourself have this.”

“But what if it doesn’t work?”

“You mean, what if he hurts you, or doesn’t feel the same way, or leaves when you push him away like you always do?”

“Yeah. I guess. That.” Times like this she wished for the old kind of phones, so she’d have something to do with her hands.

“He probably will hurt you. But I did, and we’re still friends.”

“But I don’t wanna be friends with him. Not just friends, anyway.”

“Kara.”

She waited for him to say something else, and when he didn’t, she asked, “What?”

“She was wrong about you.”

Kara sniffed and hoped he didn’t hear it.

“You are a wonderful human being who deserves to love and be loved, Kara.” He paused. “Besides…”

“What?”

“If you don’t fall in love, how am I ever going to?”

“What the hell are you talking about?”

“It’s a rule. You’re older than I am. You have to fall in love first.”

She laughed through her tears. “Frakker.”

“So what are you going to do?”

“I’m going to hang up on you. That’s what.”

“And go crawl back into bed with him and wake him up with kisses and… ”

“Hey! Do I direct your love life?”

Helo laughed. “Sometimes. Go, Kara. Go back to bed.”

“Thanks.” She pressed ‘end’ and laid her cheek on her knees.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Lee opened his eyes and wondered what had woken him. He heard murmurs from the other room and stretched his hand over to the other side of the bed to find it cold. He got to the doorway in time to hear her whisper, “I’m scared,” and wondered what he’d done wrong. He was so busy analyzing his every move he almost missed what she said next.

_I’m falling in love with him._

He stood there in shock. He’d been worried it wouldn’t last long, that she’d get bored and go home, or string him along then stop returning his calls. Instead, she sounded as overwhelmed and confused as he felt. He stepped away from the doorway and went back to bed.

When she snuck back into the room and crawled back in, he turned and pulled her into his arms, holding her tight against his chest. He raised a hand to push her hair behind her ear, kissed her gently, then tucked her head under his chin. She wrapped herself around him and he sank back into sleep, comforted by her warmth.

~*~*~*~*~*~

She shivered with the sensation of skin teasing the hairs on the small of her back. “Mmm.”

“Morning.”

She buried her face in the pillow and grunted agreement. Something clattered, and his fingers chased, wet and sticky, up her spine. She was about to roll over and complain, but his mouth followed his fingers, and no frakkin’ way was she gonna make him stop now. His tongue swirled and his lips sucked and he bumped his nose here and there, and she squirmed on her belly.

Since when was her back an erogenous zone? Frak.

He straddled her, his palms sliding up, teasing at the sides of her breasts, his cock hard and heavy against her ass. His knees held her tightly in place, and she whimpered when she couldn’t move to ease the throb between her legs.

He worked his hands underneath her until he could cup her breasts, catch her nipples between his fingers. Kara wanted to turn over, but he’d put enough weight on her she couldn’t really move. Instead of feeling trapped, helpless, fighting him off, she felt safe. His chest touched the skin of her back and then his mouth was on the tattoo, sucking hard, and she moaned.

Gods. What the frak was...he did it again, “Ohh.” She pushed the pillow up and her head down so she could breathe better. With his hands splayed over her breasts, and his cock grinding in the crack of her ass, she pushed up into him. “Please.”

He nuzzled her neck. “Mmm. You like that?”

“I do now,” she muttered.

He chuckled, his breath ghosting across her skin, and she sank her teeth into her bottom lip. She needed...she needed something more.

“Lee?”

“Hmmm?”

“Gods, Lee. Frak me. Please.”

For a moment, his weight was gone, then his knees nudged hers apart, and he pushed into her, so frakkin’ slow she wanted to kill him. She wondered how he was managing without his hands, then he sank in, held still just long enough for her to get antsy, and pulled out again. Every time he repeated it, Kara ached a little more. She moved to shove a hand under herself, but his arms were in the way.

“Harder, Lee.”

He laughed softly. “Nope.”

“Are you trying to kill me?”

“No more than you were trying to kill me last night.”

“So this is payback?!” she choked out.

He stilled inside her, his lips catching at her earlobe. He bit down, just exactly hard enough, whispered, “You want me to pay you back? I’ve never come so hard in my life, Kara. That what you want right now? Come so hard you can’t see?”

Was that what she wanted? Her belly cramped up with fear and she flinched. But then Helo was in her head, his voice soothing her. ‘Fall in love with him, Kara. Let yourself have this.’ She’d never wanted anything so badly. If this went south, it was going to kill her, but…

“Yes!” She wriggled as much as she could, working her knees farther apart, forcing him deeper.

He pulled back, gently, then shoved in, hard and fast. She tried to catch her breath, but he kept doing that, gently, then hard and fast, with his hands plucking at her breasts, and she desperately wanted pressure on her clit, because she was aching to come, but he just kept going. Just when Kara thought she was going to lose her frakkin’ mind, he pushed a hand down her belly and probed roughly around her clit, never quite in the right spot.

She moaned, bucked under his weight, and he went harder and faster, gliding in and out of her, his fingers circling tighter and tighter. Her entire body tensed up, the ache almost pain now, and finally, _finally!_ He worked his fingers on her clit and frakked deeper into her and she shouted into the mattress as she came, hard the first time, then in decreasing waves. She collapsed into the sheets, her heart pounding and her breath stuttering.

She lay there, not thinking at all for a few minutes, Lee heavy on her back, her body relaxing in increments until she was pretty sure she wouldn’t be able to move if she tried. She tried to talk, but the words didn’t come out right, and Lee was making the same nonsensical sounds.

He moved away, pulling out of her. She lightly growled her complaint as he flopped onto his back.

“I know. I didn’t want to, either, but I was probably squashing you.”

“Uhn.” Well, that was eloquent.

He snorted, still panting, his hand resting in the middle of her back. He rolled to his side and kissed the ball of her shoulder.

She purred, rubbing her face on the sheet. She dozed off, coming awake again when she heard the water start up in the head. She waited for him to pull up the shower diverter, but he never did. Then fragrance floated out on the humid air, and she sniffed.

“Hey, Kara?”

She turned her head without opening her eyes.

“How about a hot soak?”

She opened one eye. “A bath?” she mumbled. “You wanna take a bath?” She groaned. “Is there going to be room service with this bath?”

He grinned at her, the lines fanning out from his eyes paradoxically making him look younger. “Your own personal cabin boy.”

“Not sure I can walk.”

He laughed and bent over the bed, scooping her up. “Full service, madam.” He carried her into the head, letting her feet drop at the side of the tub. He stood, holding her hand and arm as she climbed in.

Kara groaned as she settled in. She wasn’t much of a bath girl usually, but damn. She relaxed, letting the water slide silkily over her skin. Gods, this felt good! She closed her eyes for a moment or two, then opened them again. Lee was still standing there watching her.

She held up her hand. “You said full service, right? Get your ass in here with me. I need someone to scrub my back.”

She sat up enough for him to maneuver himself behind her, and she sank back into his broad chest. The water lapped at their hips, and he swished water over her belly. She was mesmerized by the droplets of water snaking their way back down.

Yeah. She could get used to this.


	7. Chapter Six

Kara stood in the kitchen, baffled by all the paraphernalia. She’d figured out, by scent, where the coffeemaker was, but she had no idea how it worked. Hers was easy: scoop coffee, pour in water. But not this one. She was so deep in thought, she failed to hear Lee come up behind her.

He wrapped his arms around her and kissed the back of her neck. “You’re up early.”

“Woke up hungry. I thought maybe I’d make breakfast, but to be honest, I don’t know what half this stuff is.” She turned around, naked hip sliding against naked hip. She looked down. “Now I’m thinking another kind of breakfast is in order.” She waggled her eyebrows at him.

Lee grinned at her. “How about - ” he boosted her up onto the counter, “you sit here, and I get something ready.” He kissed her quickly then moved away, getting the coffee started with a few deft movements.

Kara pouted playfully. “I don’t want to wait.”

He stopped gathering things from the fridge and spice cabinet, and looked over his shoulder, his gaze locked on her lips. “I’ll uh, I’ll make it worth your while, Kara.”

“Oh?”

His eyes dazzled. “You think you’ve already seen everything?”

If she hadn’t… The idea made her squirm. She put her hands behind her on the counter and swung her legs, bouncing her heels against the cabinets, feeling like a five-year-old who couldn’t open her presents. “I guess I can wait, then.”

While they were eating breakfast, Kara broached the subject at the back of her mind. “I don’t know about you,” she said casually, “but I have to go back to work tomorrow.”

Lee stopped with the fork in his mouth, removed it slowly, and nodded. “Me, too. What do you do?”

Kara winced. Had they really not talked about, well, anything? “Fleet. I’m a pilot. Instructor.”

“Hmm.” He nodded. “So you wear a uniform?”

“Of course.” She tilted her head. “Does that bother you?”

Lee looked up, the lines at the corners of his eyes crinkled. “Not exactly.”

“You got a thing for women in uniform?”

“Never have before, but I think that might be changing.”

Maybe she wasn’t alone on this roller-coaster ride.

“Can you stay another night?”

“I don’t have my uniform with me, and I report at 0700. Maybe next time?”

Lee looked up quickly. “You want there to be a next time?”

Had she misread this? “Do you?”

“Can I make a confession?”

The expression on his face made her a little uneasy, but she nodded.

“I woke up without you last night, and I overheard you on the phone. I don’t know what this is, and I’m kind of terrified, too, but I’d like to find out if you would. This isn’t just a wild, out of character weekend for me.”

Kara exhaled heavily. “Thank gods. I mean, I gotta be honest, I’ve frakked a lot of guys, but I’ve never felt like this before, not even with Helo.”

They sat in silence, staring at one another for an endless moment.

“I’ve got Tuesday evening free. I could maybe pick you up and we could have dinner. Here, or out if you’d rather.”

“Do you have access to the base?” She wasn’t sure she could get him a clearance in two days.

“Actually, I do. Some of the stuff my firm works on overlaps with Fleet, and we’ve all been vetted.”

“Your firm?”

Lee blushed. She still thought it was adorable. “Law firm. I’m a lawyer. That a problem?”

Kara snickered. “Nah. Ten years ago, now, I would have used your services a lot to keep me out of hack, but I’m a paragon of Captainly virtue now.” She put her chin in her hand. “Yes to Tuesday. My day usually ends at 1700, but I can work on paperwork if I need to be later than that.”

“I can do five o’clock.” He grinned at her raised eyebrows. “What? My dad was a Battlestar Commander. I know military time.”

“That explains a lot.”

His brows knitted together. “It does?”

She nodded. “Inside you is a rebel just itching to break free and be dangerous. I bet you spent a lot of time making yourself into the son who wouldn’t disappoint him.”

He opened his mouth, then closed it. “That’s a conversation for another time, I think.” He grinned at her. “I think I’m supposed to make up for making you wait to eat breakfast now.”

Kara gulped down the rest of her orange juice and her coffee. “Hydration, you know?” She winked at him, wondering if she should take her plate to the sink.

Lee put his hand on hers, brushing against her back. “Leave it. Race you to the bedroom.”

He didn’t have to say it twice.


	8. Epilogue

Kara jutted her chin. “Redhead. Four o’clock.”

Karl stood and stretched, checking her out from beneath his lashes.

Kara laughed. “Gods, Helo. You should only bat those eyelashes for the good of humankind.”

“What? Me getting laid isn’t a good thing for everyone?”

“It’s better for everyone involved if _I_ get laid.” She covered her smile by lifting her glass.

Karl watched the guy approach her from behind. He stood there quietly for a moment, flicked his eyes at Karl, and simultaneously set the glasses on the table and kissed the side of Kara’s neck. She groaned and tilted her head, her eyes fluttering shut.

“Gods, Lee! Now she won’t want to dance, and we just got here!”

Kara opened her eyes and smirked at him. “I desperately want to dance, Helo. Don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Yeah, well, that kind of dancing you can’t do in public.”

She slipped from the stool, turning in Lee’s arms. “Watch me.” She raised her arms, wrapped them loosely around Lee’s neck, and started swaying.

Karl didn’t think Kara really understood what she did to people when she turned it on, whatever it was. Now that she was happy, she drew people’s gazes, and they always lingered whether she was dancing alone or with someone. But when she was dancing with Lee? Even Karl sometimes had to surreptitiously adjust himself and look away.

He’d even jokingly asked the bartender a couple of weeks ago if he sold more drinks when Kara was here. The guy had looked at him without any expression for a moment, then said, “Drink sales double,” with a huge grin. “She’s good for business.”

Kara danced back away from Lee, and Lee just shook his head. She made her way onto the dance floor, and Karl groaned. She wasn’t. Oh, gods, she was! The redhead and Kara danced around each other, and Kara maneuvered them until they were facing him. The music changed, and their movements became languid, sultry.

“Look like you’re getting laid tonight, Karl,” Lee said. “Better watch out. She’s determined to find you someone special.”

They grinned at each other, and Karl shrugged a shoulder. “If it works for me as well as it works for you two, I’m okay with that.”

“Mmm,” was Lee’s only answer.

They watched the two women dance until Kara sent some unspoken signal, and Lee headed out to take Kara water. She and the redhead cheek-kissed and their hands trailed away from each other. Kara was already completely absorbed in Lee, and the redhead was making her way to Karl with unerring precision.

Yeah. It really was better for everyone involved when Kara was happy.


End file.
